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Should Article II, Sections 9 and 19 of the revised constitution of American Samoa be revised to give the Fono, rather than the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Interior, the power to override the Governor's veto? | ||||||||||
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A constitutional referendum was held in American Samoa on 4 November 2014. The proposed amendment to the constitution would have allowed the Fono to override vetoes by the Governor. [1]
The proposal amendment to the constitution would have allowed the Fono to override vetoes issued by the Governor by a two-thirds majority vote in cases where the Governor rejected legislation that had been passed twice by the Fono. It was approved by the Senate on 18 February 2014, and was supported by Governor Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga. [2] As it involved amending the constitution, the proposal would have also needed approval from the United States Congress. [2]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 2,670 | 26.19 | |
| Against | 7,526 | 73.81 | |
| Total | 10,196 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 16,776 | – | |
| Source: Elections Office | |||
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A pocket veto is a legislative maneuver that allows a president or other official with veto power to exercise that power over a bill by taking no action, thus effectively killing the bill without affirmatively vetoing it. This depends on the laws of each country; the common alternative is that if the president takes no action a bill automatically becomes law.
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General elections were held in American Samoa on November 6, 2012, to elect a new governor and lieutenant governor, twenty members of the American Samoa House of Representatives and the Delegate to United States House of Representatives. Incumbent governor Togiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek re-election.
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Section 25. Compensation of the legislature. The compensation of the members of the Legislature is provided by law.
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A constitutional referendum was held in American Samoa on 6 November 2018, alongside general elections. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow the Fono to override the veto of the Governor, a proposal which had previously been rejected by voters in referendums in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Voters again rejected the measure, with 70% voting against.
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